[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 34 (Monday, February 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1234-H1236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1700
STOP, OBSERVE, ASK, AND RESPOND TO HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACT OF 2018
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 767) to establish the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to
Health and Wellness Training pilot program to address human trafficking
in the health care system, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 767
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Stop, Observe, Ask, and
Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018'' or the ``SOAR to
Health and Wellness Act of 2018''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Human trafficking.--The term ``human trafficking'' has
the meaning given the term ``severe forms of trafficking in
persons'' as defined in section 103 of the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7102).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 3. PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program to
be known as the Stop,
[[Page H1235]]
Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training
Program or the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program
(in this Act referred to as the ``Program'') to provide
training to health care providers and other related
providers, at all levels, on human trafficking in accordance
with the purpose described in subsection (c).
(b) Grants.--The Secretary may carry out the Program
through the award of grants to health care sites and health
care professional organizations that represent diversity in--
(1) geography;
(2) the demographics of the population served;
(3) the predominant types of human trafficking cases; and
(4) health care provider profiles.
(c) Purpose.--The purpose of the Program shall be to train
health care providers and other related providers to enable
such providers to--
(1) identify potential human trafficking victims;
(2) implement proper protocols and procedures for working
with law enforcement to report, and facilitate communication
with, such victims, in accordance with all applicable
Federal, State, local, and tribal requirements, including
legal confidentiality requirements for patients and health
care providers;
(3) implement proper protocols and procedures for referring
such victims to appropriate health care, social, or victims
service agencies or organizations;
(4) provide such victims care that is--
(A) coordinated;
(B) victim centered;
(C) culturally relevant;
(D) comprehensive;
(E) evidence-based;
(F) gender responsive;
(G) age-appropriate, with a focus on care for youth; and
(H) trauma-informed; and
(5) consider the potential for integrating the training
described in paragraphs (1) through (4) with training
programs, in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, for
victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual
assault, stalking, child abuse, child neglect, child
maltreatment, and child sexual exploitation.
(d) Functions.--
(1) In general.--The functions of the Program shall include
the functions of the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to
Health and Wellness Training program that was operating on
the day before the date of enactment of this Act and the
authorized initiatives described in paragraph (2).
(2) Authorized initiatives.--The authorized initiatives of
the Program shall include--
(A) engaging stakeholders, including victims of human
trafficking and any Federal, State, local, or tribal
partners, to develop a flexible training module--
(i) for achieving the purpose described in subsection (c);
and
(ii) that adapts to changing needs, settings, health care
providers, and other related providers;
(B) providing technical assistance for health education
programs and health care professional organizations to
implement health care protocols, or develop continuing
education training materials, that assist in achieving the
purpose described in subsection (c);
(C) facilitating the dissemination of best practices and
recommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate; and
(D) developing a reliable methodology for collecting data,
and reporting such data, on the number of human trafficking
victims identified and served in health care settings or
other related provider settings.
SEC. 4. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Data Collection.--
(1) In general.--During each of fiscal years 2018 through
2022, the Secretary shall collect data on each of the
following:
(A) The total number of grantees operating under the
Program.
(B) The total number of health care providers and other
related providers trained through the Program.
(2) Initial report.--In addition to the data required to be
collected under paragraph (1), for purposes of the initial
report to be submitted under subsection (b), the Secretary
shall collect data on the total number of facilities and
health care professional organizations that were operating
under, and the total number of health care providers and
other related providers trained through, the Stop, Observe,
Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training program that
was operating before the establishment under section 3(a) of
the Program.
(b) Reporting.--Not later than 90 days after the first day
of each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023, the Secretary
shall prepare and submit to Congress a report on the data
collected under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
SEC. 6. CUT-GO COMPLIANCE.
Subsection (f) of section 319D of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 247d-4) is amended by striking ``through
2018'' and inserting ``through 2017, and $118,300,000 for
fiscal year 2018''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Burgess) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).
General Leave
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 767, the Stop, Observe,
Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act of 2018, introduced by our
colleague, Representative Steve Cohen from Tennessee.
This bill will help in the fight against human trafficking.
Worldwide, nearly 21 million people are victims of human trafficking,
forced labor, or exploitation. This bipartisan initiative expands and
further codifies the Department of Health and Human Services' Stop,
Observe, Ask, and Respond program, which enhances the healthcare
system's response to human trafficking by requiring the program to
provide grants to healthcare sites, to work with stakeholders to
develop flexible training modules, and to provide technical assistance
to health education programs. This legislation will teach health
professionals to identify and to respond to victims of human
trafficking.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 767, the SOAR to Health and
Wellness Act of 2018. This bill expands the Stop, Observe, Ask, and
Respond--or SOAR--training program, which provides healthcare
professionals with training on how to identify and appropriately treat
victims of human trafficking.
Nearly 21 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking,
forced labor, or sexual exploitation. At some point, many of these
unidentified victims will come into contact with healthcare
professionals during their captivity. A doctor's visit or emergency
department trip can offer a critical point of intervention for victims
and a brief chance when a victim may be able to detach from
traffickers.
This bill will provide the necessary resources for the healthcare
professionals to spot victims and provide trauma-informed, culturally
appropriate care once identified. Helping healthcare professionals
better recognize the signs of trafficking and improve their ability to
intervene can truly be the difference between life and death.
I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for sponsoring this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in support of the
Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act, which is
the acronym SOAR.
In April of 2016, I worked with the Department of Homeland Security
to host a Human Trafficking Awareness Training program in Memphis at
the University of Tennessee. We gathered State and local law
enforcement, first responders, healthcare workers, faith-based groups,
and educators to discuss the importance of and strategies to combat
human trafficking. This event solidified my stance and activated me to
go forward with the legislation to address the human trafficking that
is occurring in the United States.
Shortly after, I was proud to introduce this bipartisan bill along
with my colleagues: Congressman Kinzinger from Illinois, Congressman
Cardenas from California, and Congresswoman Wagner from Missouri in the
House, as well as Senators Heitkamp and Susan Collins in the Senate.
Human trafficking is the second fastest-growing crime in Tennessee,
and it is amazing that every 2 minutes someone in the United States is
entered into human trafficking. Every 2 minutes. In 2016, 8,042 cases
were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline,
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with 110 of those occurring in Tennessee. Those are just the cases that
were reported. Human trafficking remains a hidden crime, and victims
rarely seek help because of cultural barriers or due to fear of their
traffickers, law enforcement, or of being deported, because many are
imported into our country to engage in sex crimes.
In April 2016, I joined with the Department of Homeland Security in
hosting our conference in Memphis, and from there came our legislation.
The SOAR Act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
establish a program to provide training to healthcare providers at all
levels on human trafficking.
Trafficking victims often end up in healthcare settings, and because
traffickers want to maximize profits, victims will not have health
insurance and will not often follow up on treatment. And pimps and
johns will beat up the women, and they will end up in a public
healthcare facility because they don't have insurance.
Mr. Speaker, 57 percent of trafficking victims report physical
injuries, and nearly all report having faced either sexual abuse or
physical violence. These injuries caused a reported 63 percent of
trafficking victims to go to the emergency room when they are being
exploited. Many victims also end up with sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV, and are at high risk of pregnancy. As a
result, nearly 88 percent of trafficked victims are seen by a
healthcare provider at some point and, more likely than not, it is in
an emergency room. So these are the people we seek out most to train
and see the signs of trafficking to be able to report it to law
enforcement and help these ladies out of the situation they are in.
Despite this, out of more than 5,600 hospitals in the country, only a
handful have a plan for treating patients who are victims of
trafficking, and over 95 percent of emergency room personnel are not
trained to identify trafficking victims. As a result, it is estimated
that only 1 percent of human trafficking victims are identified when
they seek emergency care.
We must encourage healthcare professionals to be alert to possible
instances of human trafficking when victims appear in clinics or
doctors' offices for needed care, and we must provide them the
additional training and resources to accomplish this goal.
I am proud to work on the SOAR to Health and Wellness Act and I urge
my colleagues to help pass it today. I thank my cosponsors and the
Republican leadership for scheduling this bill.
Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I know how important
trafficking is for the Chair in his history, and I think the Speaker of
the House has an interest in this bill, too.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), a valuable member of the Committee on Energy
and Commerce and, in fact, the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations.
Mr. KINZINGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 767, the
Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Act. I am a
proud colead of this important bill with Mr. Cohen from Tennessee, and
I thank him for his work.
Mr. Speaker, when someone says ``human trafficking,'' oftentimes we
view it as a problem far away from our shores that affects people who
are not us. It is hard to imagine that this modern-day slavery is
happening over here, hurting the people within our community every day.
In my home State of Illinois, we have the fifth highest number of
trafficking cases in this country; and the city of Rockford, in my
district, is ranked second behind Chicago in human trafficking cases.
The most important thing we can do to combat this heinous crime is to
raise awareness. That is what the SOAR to Health and Wellness Act is
designed to do. This important legislation would expand on a pilot
program with the Department of Health and Human Services by supporting
the training of healthcare workers to identify victims and best care
for them through established protocols and procedures.
Many times, when trafficking victims come to emergency rooms,
healthcare professionals may not always spot the signs that their
patient was a victim of human trafficking. Education is critical in
combating human trafficking, and our awareness could, in fact, save a
life.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 767.
I believe it can have an impact towards identifying cases of human
trafficking and helping the most vulnerable and at-risk individuals of
this evil crime.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this is a worthwhile bill. I urge my
colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 767, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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